Winch-actuated umbrella

Abstract

A winch for opening and closing an umbrella includes a winch drum mounted within an elongate support tube of the umbrella, to rotate about a longitudinal axis thereof. A threaded shaft is coaxial and rotationally fast with the drum. A line is fixed at one end to the drum and at other end to a sleeve, to which struts are pivotally connected, each strut being associated with a canopy-supporting rib. A travelling nut is engaged with the threaded shaft and blocked for rotation relative to the tube. A guide is fixed to the nut for guiding the line onto the drum, and a motor is also enclosed in the support tube and drivingly connected to the winch drum.

1. A motorised umbrella comprising:
 a support tube; 
 a plurality of radially disposed ribs, each rib being pivotally connected at one end to an end of the support tube; 
 a sleeve in external sliding relationship to the tube and moveable relative to the support tube between an outer extended position and a retracted position; 
 a plurality of struts pivotally connected between the sleeve and associated ones of the ribs, and 
 drive means for moving the sleeve between the extended and retracted positions, whereby the struts cause the ribs to splay outwardly of the support tube in response to movement of the sleeve to the extended position, wherein the struts cause the ribs to collapse inwardly in response to movement of the sleeve to the retracted position, the drive means including:
 a winch drum mounted within the support tube to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the support tube, 
 a threaded shaft coaxially mounted to the drum for rotation with the drum, 
 a line fixed at a first end to the winch drum and at a second end to the sleeve, 
 a travelling nut engaged with the threaded shaft and blocked for rotation relative to the support tube, 
 a guide fixed to the nut for guiding the line onto the winch drum, and 
 a motor enclosed in the support tube and drivingly connected to the winch drum. 
 
 
   
   
     2. The umbrella of  claim 1  further including:
 driving and driven bevel gears mounted coaxially with the winch drum, the driven bevel gear being drivingly engaged with the winch drum; 
 a pinion connecting the driving and driven bevel gears, the pinion having means for engaging a crank handle; and 
 a clutch connected between the motor and the driving gear for disconnecting drive from the motor to allow the crank handle to be used for manually rotating the winch drum. 
 
   
   
     3. The umbrella of  claim 1  wherein the crank handle comprises a socket for drivingly engaging a recess in the pinion. 
   
   
     4. The umbrella of  claim 3  wherein
 the clutch includes an actuating member for engaging and disengaging the clutch, and 
 the actuating member protrudes transversely through the support tube and has a portion which protrudes from the support tube at a position circumferentially aligned with the socket. 
 
   
   
     5. The umbrella of  claim 1  wherein the umbrella further includes a joint assembly in the umbrella, joining an upper part of the support tube to a lower part of the support tube, the joint assembly comprising:
 a transverse pivot connecting the upper and lower parts of the support tube; 
 a detent in one of the upper and lower parts for engaging one of a plurality of angularly spaced features in the other of the upper and lower parts to fix the upper and lower parts in respective angular positions, and 
 an interlock fixed to one of the upper and lower parts and actuated by engagement with the other of the upper and lower parts to prevent actuation of the motor when the upper part is inclined relative to the lower part.